Signing Their Rights Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the United States Constitution

By Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese

An entertaining and essential collection of stories about the surprising and strange fates of the thirty-nine statesmen who created the U.S. Constitution.

Now in paperback with a brand-new cover, this companion volume to Signing Their Lives Away tells the untold stories of the signers of the U.S. Constitution and comes at a time when our constitutional rights are at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Remember when our elected officials knew how to compromise? Here are short, irreverent, fun, and fact-filled biographies of the 39 men who set aside their differences and signed their names to the U.S. Constitution—the oldest written constitution of any nation in the world. You’ll meet:

• The Signer Who Believed in Aliens
• The Signer Who Was Shot in the Stomach
• The Signer Who Went Bankrupt
• The Peg-Legged Signer
• And many more colorful colonists!

Complete with portraits of every signatory, Signing Their Rights Away provides an entertaining and enlightening narrative for students, history buffs, politicos, and Hamilton fans alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Quirk Books
• Release date: Sep 6, 2011
• ISBN: 9781594745317

Denise Kiernan

Denise Kiernan is the author of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Last Castle. Her previous book, The Girls of Atomic City, is a New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and NPR bestseller. Kiernan has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Ms., Reader’s Digest, Discover, and many more publications. She has also worked in television, serving as head writer for ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire during its Emmy award–winning first season and producing for media outlets such as ESPN and MSNBC. She has been a featured guest on NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” PBS NewsHour, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Book preview

ALSO BY THE AUTHORS

Signing Their Lives Away

Stuff Every American Should Know

ALSO BY DENISE KIERNAN

The Girls of Atomic City

The Last Castle

Copyright © 2011, 2019 by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese

All rights reserved. Except as authorized under U.S. copyright law, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: 2018961369

ISBN: 9781683691273

Ebook ISBN: 9781594745317

Ebook design adapted from printed book design by Aurora Parlagreco

Illustrations by Robert Carter

Production management by John J. McGurk

Quirk Books

215 Church Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

quirkbooks.com

v5.4

a

CONTENTS

Cover

Also by The Authors

Title Page

Copyright

INTRODUCTION

A Constitutional Cheat Sheet

A Constitutional Timeline

I. NEW HAMPSHIRE

John Langdon: The Signer Who Picked Up the Tab

Nicholas Gilman: The Most Handsome Signer

II. MASSACHUSETTS

Nathaniel Gorham: The Signer Who Considered a Monarchy

Rufus King: The Signer Who Always Ran (and Never Won)

III. CONNECTICUT

William Samuel Johnson: The Signer Who Lived the Longest

Roger Sherman: The Signer Who Knew How to Compromise

IV. NEW YORK

Alexander Hamilton: The Signer Who Died in a Duel

V. NEW JERSEY

William Livingston: The Signer-Poet

David Brearley: The Signer Who Proposed Erasing State Boundaries and Starting Over

William Paterson: The Son of a Door-to-Door Salesman

Jonathan Dayton: The Signer Who Stole $18,000 from Congress

VI. PENNSYLVANIA

Benjamin Franklin: The Signer Known throughout the World

Thomas Mifflin: The Signer Who Was Ruined by Drink

Robert Morris: The Signer Who Went to Debtors’ Prison

George Clymer: The Signer Whose Home Was Destroyed by the British

Thomas FitzSimons: The Signer Who Loaned Away His Fortune (and Never Got It Back)

Jared Ingersoll: The Signer Who Couldn’t Keep Up with Fashion

James Wilson: The Signer-Turned-Fugitive

Gouverneur Morris: The Playboy with the Wooden Leg

VII. DELAWARE

George Read: The Signer Who Signed Twice

Gunning Bedford Jr.: The Signer Who Trusted No One

John Dickinson: The Signer Who Never Signed

Richard Bassett: The Signer Who Overcame Religious Discrimination

Jacob Broom: The Invisible Signer

VIII. MARYLAND

James McHenry: The Signer Immortalized by the Star-Spangled Banner

Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer: The Signer with the Mysterious Middle Name

Daniel Carroll: The Signer Who Helped Create Washington, D.C.

IX. VIRGINIA

George Washington: The President of the Constitutional Convention

John Blair: The Underachieving Signer

James Madison Jr.: The Father of the Constitution

X. NORTH CAROLINA

William Blount: The Signer Who…Oh, There’s No Way to Dance around the Issue, This Guy Was a Crook

Richard Dobbs Spaight: The Other Signer Who Died in a Duel

Hugh Williamson: The Signer Who Believed in Aliens

XI. SOUTH CAROLINA

John Rutledge: The Signer Who Attempted Suicide

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: The Signer Who Wouldn’t Bribe the French

Charles Pinckney: The Ghost Writer of the Constitution?

Pierce Butler: The Signer Who Turned Coat on the King

XII. GEORGIA

William Few: The Signer Who Lived the American Dream

Abraham Baldwin: The Signer Who Pinched Pennies

APPENDIXES

I. THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

Text of the U.S. Constitution

Text of the Bill of Rights

Additional Amendments

II. A CONSTITUTIONAL MISCELLANY

Preserving the Constitution

The Penman of the Constitution

William Jackson: The Fortieth Signer

Will the Real Constitution Printer Please Stand Up?

Who Signed the Bill of Rights?

By the Numbers

They Came, They Saw, They Didn’t Sign

Immigrant Signers

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

About the Authors

INTRODUCTION

Ask any person to name the single most important day in United States history, and they’re likely to answer July 4, 1776. Every year, Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence by attending parades and watching fireworks. Most believe that the patriots defeated the British, as though in a football game, and then Americans lived happily ever after in blissful democracy.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

When the war ended in 1783, the United States was governed by the Articles of Confederation. This fairly flimsy compact provided for a one-house Congress, one vote per state, and very little else. True, this Congress had a president, but he didn’t derive his power from the people, and he was an intentionally weak figurehead. After all, the last thing the founding fathers wanted was another king.

Within two years, the fledgling United States was on the verge of political collapse. The federal government had no power to tax people, goods, properties, or businesses. That may sound wonderful until you stop to consider all the consequences: The federal government had no revenue and issued no currency. There was no money for raising troops, building ships, or engaging in other activities vital to a nation’s self-defense. The country was vulnerable to attack and domination by a host of foreign powers. At sea, American vessels were pirated by foreign ships; their cargo and passengers were frequently held for ransom. On land, British and Spanish factions were arming Native Americans and encouraging them to raid American settlements on the edges of the frontier.

States took matters into their own hands. Nine states had their own naval forces and pursued their own foreign policies. They imposed taxes on goods from other states as though they were dealing with foreign countries. There were no courts to decide disagreements between states. Private banks were issuing their own currency, but their notes were often distrusted and viewed as IOUs that might never be repaid. Doing business with other states was challenging if not impossible. Seesawing cycles of inflation and deflation were destroying lives. Foreclosures skyrocketed, and banks began seizing the homes of poor farmers with unpaid mortgages. Many wealthy landowners feared a bloody class revolution—or an all-out civil war.

Clearly something had to be done or the nation wouldn’t live long enough to celebrate its eleventh birthday. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and a host of other bigwigs proposed a grand convention at which delegates would gather to revise, debate, and expand the Articles of Confederation. Seventy-four delegates were chosen by their respective states; only fifty-five answered the call, and many of those with skepticism. Patrick Henry, the famed Virginia rebel, refused to attend, complaining that he smelt a rat. Rhode Island sent no representatives at all.

In May of 1787, the willing participants journeyed to the very same Philadelphia building where the Declaration of Independence had been signed. True, these men had once banded together to fight as brothers against a common enemy, but now they were deeply distrustful of one another. Small states were suspicious of large states. The nation was divided over slavery. Every delegate arrived wanting something—but few were willing to sacrifice anything. In such a contentious environment, reaching compromise would be tough. More than a dozen delegates quit and went home before the convention’s end.

The thirty-nine who remained and signed the U.S. Constitution are the focus of this book. Signing Their Rights Away introduces you to the remarkable historical figures who jettisoned the limp and lifeless Articles of Confederation for a robust and rigorous document that provided the framework for an enduring system of government (at more than 230 years old, the U.S. Constitution is the oldest functioning constitution in the world).

In the end, these men prioritized the welfare of their country over politics or personal advancement. They fought with great conviction—but they eventually came to understand that no single delegate could walk away with all the marbles. They agreed to compromise for the greater good. Yet, today, despite their heroic labors, most of them have lapsed into obscurity.

They deserve better—if only because their stories are so interesting. At least twenty-two of the signers served in the military—as soldiers, chaplains, administrative officers—during the Revolutionary War. Five were captured and imprisoned by the British. Many lost homes, property, and loved ones to the war. Two died in duels; one attempted suicide.

Most were educated, cosmopolitan gentlemen accustomed to a life of wealth and privilege. Eighteen of the signers were trained in law; the remainder were merchants, plantation owners, and financiers. They represented the views, expectations, and entitlements of the nation’s elite. Such men had no problem ignoring the rights of women and slaves when designing their compact for government. Nor were they champions of free white men with meager property. (One signer sought to restrict government service to men with a net worth exceeding $100,000!) Having witnessed intimidation and mob violence at the hands of enemies and patriots alike, many of the signers didn’t trust the American public. The idea of granting power to all individuals was a fairly radical idea. During debates, many signers repeatedly derided the notion that Josiah Q. Public could serve wisely in the House and Senate, or, heaven help us, the presidency.

But in the end, enough members knew that this attitude did not reflect the principles of the revolution they had just fought. They were gutsy enough to give the little guy a shot at power. Anyone could be president, anyone could be senator—even you.

So the next time September 17 rolls around, eat a hot dog, watch some fireworks, and celebrate Constitution Day—that fateful date in 1787 when thirty-nine sweaty men dressed in stockings signed their names to the United States Constitution. Remember how they argued, hoped, feared, persevered, and, most important, compromised to create a lasting document that still governs today. July 4 may be remembered as the day the United States was born, but September 17 marks the country’s passage into adulthood, laying the groundwork for two centuries of remarkable expansion and spectacular achievements.

A Constitutional Cheat Sheet

Here’s a short list of words and phrases you won’t find in the original United States Constitution:

God

black

white

women

slavery

all men are created equal

pursuit of happiness

separation of church and state.

If that comes as a surprise, it’s probably been a while since you read the actual document. You can rectify this knowledge gap right now: Signing Their Rights Away includes a legible transcript of the Constitution beginning on this page, and the National Constitution Center features an interactive version on its website (constitutioncenter.org). You’ll want to read the entire text before proceeding; it’s hard to think of another 4,400-word document that has had a great impact on world history.

The United States Constitution

vs.

The Declaration of Independence

Before we introduce you to the thirty-nine men who signed the U.S. Constitution, we’d like to introduce some of the terms and themes that will be discussed throughout this book. Fair warning: This cheat sheet makes no attempt to tell the full story of the Constitutional Convention; indeed, that job is beyond the scope of this book (though our bibliography recommends several writers who tell this story particularly well). Our focus here is to celebrate the lives of the signers, but you’ll need some of the following information to better understand their achievements.

At the time of the Constitutional Convention, the United States was governed by the Congress of the Confederation—basically, the congress provided for by the Articles of Confederation. This congress met in New York City, then the nation’s capital.

The constitutional delegates gathered in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall from May 25, 1787, until September 17, 1787. George Washington (not yet the first U.S. president, of course, but still wildly famous from his role in the Revolutionary War) was elected president of the Convention.

The most debated topic concerned representation—how the various states would receive a voice in the new congress. Generally, large states favored a proposal called the Virginia Plan, whereas small states preferred the New Jersey Plan, and the resulting logjam nearly brought the entire convention to a stalemate.

The Virginia Plan proposed that representation in the national legislature would be based on the population of each state—in short, bigger states would get more say. Not surprisingly, this plan was favored by representatives from the most populous states: Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. To a more limited extent, the plan was also embraced by states that hoped to have huge populations in the future, such as North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The New Jersey Plan was backed by smaller states like Delaware and Connecticut; they weren’t willing to sign away the equal voting rights that already existed in Congress. Under this plan, each state in Congress would have exactly one vote, regardless of population or geographic area.

It’s likely the entire convention might have ended in failure if shoemaker-turned-statesman Roger Sherman hadn’t proposed what historians now call the Great Compromise (also known as the Connecticut Compromise). His solution: The House of Representatives would have proportional representation based on population, and the Senate would consist of two senators from each state. This system is still in use today.

The second most controversial topic of the convention was slavery. States with large slave populations wanted to include slaves in their total populations (thus increasing their power in the House of Representatives). This idea was ill received by states that had already abolished slavery or were planning or hoping to abolish it. The debate was settled by the Three-Fifths Compromise, which allowed states to count each slave as three-fifths of a person for purposes of congressional representation. And since some delegates were uncomfortable with even the use of the word slave, the document features the more euphemistic phrase all other persons.

Throughout the convention, James Madison took meticulous notes, so we know approximately how many times each delegate spoke (some were more vocal than others). Along the way, there were many committees and subcommittees. The Rules Committee drafted the guidelines that governed the entire convention. The Committee of the Whole was a venue for delegates to let loose and debate topics off the record. The Committee of Detail reviewed all the notes and votes and created a first draft of the Constitution, which the Committee of Style and Arrangement whipped into a final draft. Finally, there were three Committees of Eleven, usually made up of one member from all the states attending; these committees tackled various issues as they arose.

The cursory nature of this overview might suggest that the signers of the Constitution marched together toward a unanimous and happy consensus. The truth is far more unpleasant. The men squabbled for four months behind locked doors in an unventilated building where temperatures routinely exceeded ninety degrees Fahrenheit. At one point, an angry George Washington wrote that the men trapped with him in the room were nothing but a bunch of narrow-minded politicians. (This was meant as an insult; in Washington’s day, gentlemen aspired to be statesmen.)

Washington wasn’t alone in his frustration. Most signers ended the convention feeling unsatisfied or disappointed. Benjamin Franklin even admitted that the Constitution was far from perfect: I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve…but I am not sure I shall never approve them. It was an impassioned speech, but not enough to convince all forty-two of the remaining delegates; three refused to put their names on the document.

And once the remaining thirty-nine had signed, the Constitution still needed ratification, or approval, from the states themselves. Nine states were required to put the new government into effect, which would allow for the election of a president and Congress. And so the delegates had to return home and promote the new Constitution to their constituents.

In many parts of the country, it was a tough sell. Public discussions were sometimes accompanied by violent outbursts. Many Americans feared that an empowered federal government would reinstate the tyranny (and unfair taxation) of their former British rulers—only this time, the tyrants would be much closer to home. To advance their cause, signers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay published a series of eighty-five essays supporting ratification (known collectively as the Federalist Papers).

Delaware was first to ratify the new Constitution (and if you’ve ever wondered why it’s nicknamed The First State, now you know). It was followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Carolina. When New Hampshire became the ninth to ratify the document, the Constitution went live, but the arguments over the new government never ceased. In fact, many of the same arguments continue to this day.

A Constitutional Timeline

Key milestones in the saga of the U.S. Constitution

March 1781: The Articles of Confederation becomes the governing document of the United States.

1783: The Treaty of Paris is signed by Britain and the United States, ending the Revolutionary War.

September 1786: The Annapolis Convention. Five states formally request that Congress schedule a meeting to discuss defects in the Articles of Confederation.

February 21, 1787: The Continental Congress calls for a Constitutional Convention.

May 25, 1787: The Constitutional Convention begins in Philadelphia. George Washington is elected Convention President.

September 17, 1787: The U.S. Constitution is signed by thirty-nine delegates.

December 7, 1787: Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the Constitution.

December 12, 1787: Pennsylvania is the second state to ratify.

December 18, 1787: New Jersey is the third state to ratify.

January 2, 1788: Georgia is the fourth state to ratify.

January 9, 1788: Connecticut is the fifth state to ratify.

February 6, 1788: Massachusetts is the sixth state to ratify.

April 28, 1788: Maryland is the seventh state to ratify.

May 23, 1788: South Carolina is the eighth state to ratify.

June 21, 1788: New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify. With nine states on board, the Constitution takes effect as the governing document of the United States.

June 25, 1788: Virginia becomes the tenth state to ratify.

July 26, 1788: New York becomes the eleventh state to ratify.

March 1789: The Congress of the United States meets for the first time under the U.S. Constitution.

April 30, 1789: George Washington is sworn in as first president of the United States under the U.S. Constitution.

September 1789: The Supreme Court of the United States is established under the Constitution.

November 21, 1789: North Carolina becomes the twelfth state to ratify.

May 29, 1790: Rhode Island finally ratifies. The Constitution is in effect throughout the entire United States.

1791: The Bill of Rights (Amendments I–X) is ratified.

THE SIGNERS OF THE

United States Constitution

These biographies are arranged in the order in which the men signed the Constitution—from north to south. The only exception is George Washington, who, as head of the convention, signed first.

I.

New Hampshire

Reviews for Signing Their Rights Away

[jarratt_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Formatted exactly like its predecessor, "Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence," this book includes snapshots of each man who signed the US Constitution. It's a fun, brief overview of the lives and fates of these men. There's not much depth here, but that's not the point of the book. Its breezy style is fun to read and there are lots of neat factoids along the way. And the book jacket folds out into a large "poster" of the Constitution, so that's cool. Highly recommended!

[torrey23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is very much like its' companion book, Signing Their Lives Away. The book is full of short biographies of each of the signers of the Constitution. It does not deal with how the Constitution came to be, it is concerned only with the Signers. This is an easy read and an enjoyable book.

[chris177 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It never ceases to amaze me how little I know about the real history of America. In their book “Signing Their Rights Away”, Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese give us the real people, places and events that shaped our Constitution and affect who and what we are as a country today. Kiernan and D’Agnese takes us state by state, signer by signer to give a great look inside the minds of the people that signed the US Constitution, thereby giving us an insight into the Constitution itself. I really like the idea of using the back of the dust jacket to print a copy of the Constitution. Very nice! I got this book from LibraryThing as part of their book give away.

[sgtbigg_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In Signing Their Rights Away the authors introduce the reader to the 39 men who met in Philadelphia during the hot summer of 1787 and eventually put their names to the U. S. Constitution. The book features mini-biographies of each signer; unfortunately it concentrates on the quirky or strange. As each bio is a separate section there is no over arching narrative. There’s nothing new here but it’s nor a bad place to start if you want to learn a little something about the men who drafted the Constitution

[thothj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Signing Their Rights Away, written by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese, introduces readers to the 39 statesmen (including more than a few wastrels, scoundrels, drunks, debtors, swindlers and others of questionable morality) who met in the summer of 1787 to craft and eventually put their names to a revolutionary document one destined have world-wide repercussions………Americans know this document as the “U.S. Constitution”.

Signing Their Rights Away chronicles a unique moment in United States history, one where men from all over the country, from all different walks of life, in all different professions and all with different ideas about what type of constitution the new nation needed met one hot summer in 1787. What is monumental in this, is that these 39 individuals all came together, for the good of the United States and “compromised”, ultimately doing what was best for the American people.

But as interesting as the story is of the creation of the Constitution, the stories of the individual delegates who helped create it are even more fascinating. For example, Nicholas Gilman, delegate from New Hampshire, was a pretty boy who never said a single word during the entire convention, but who's enthusiasm for and promotion of the new Constitution helped ensure that New Hampshire became the ninth state to sign. Then there is Connecticut delegate Roger Sherman, who was the "only" founder to sign the four most important documents in the early history of the United States: the "Articles of Association", the "Declaration of Independence", the "Articles of Confederation" and the "Constitution". While Pennsylvania delegate, Thomas Mifflin, might have drunk more alcohol than the entire legislature of Pennsylvania, the man was a patriot, helping to raise troops to quell the Whiskey Rebellion. Finally, while Robert Morris, Pennsylvanian delegate and financier of the Revolution, wisely counseled all parties to “compromise” (something that both the GOP and the Democratic Parties should heed).

Signing Their Rights Away is an engaging and enlightening chronicle, one appealing to both armchair history buffs and historians alike.


***First Draft of Review***

"Signing Their Rights Away" was beyond fabulous! I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the lives of our nation's Founding Fathers. It even encouraged me to begin writing about what I call our "Forgotten Founding Fathers" on my Facebook account and Blog. The minutia of the lives of public figures is fascinating. For a few of the interesting quotes and people, see the comments I posted about this book or my blog/Facebook.

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have a strong interest in the American Revolution and the men who brainstormed to create a system of government with checks and balances. I started reading Signing Their Lives Away as a distraction and ended up getting sucked into these short quips on each of the original signers of the Constitution, plus reading the Constitution itself and recognizing it's sheer brilliance. Definitely worth a read if this subject interests you.

[ccrown_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This little book, a quick read that you can dip in and out of, is a great introduction to the men who created the United States Constitution. It's written in a modern, breezy style that gives 2 to 4 page biographies of men who altered the course of history. It points out, right away, that this is NOT the Declaration of Independence. That was created by another group of men who changed the course of history. This document defines our system of government and this book contains the entire document for your edification. I love the style of the biographies. Listed by state (from top to bottom, with a kinda jog for Pennsylvania), each founding father's signature on the Constitution is provided at the top of his page. Where he was from, occupation, DOB, DOD and final resting place are found next to a portrait of the man, along with a little tag like the One Who Footed the Tab (I'm paraphrasing, since I don't have the book in front of me) or The Invisible One (oops, no known portrait). And then, in a few pages, the authors tell you the FF's beginning, middle and end, his position on the Constitution and any fun facts they can toss at you. It made for an easy evening's read and will make a quick reference for armchair historians who turn to a book before they think to go to the internet.One of my favorite things about this book is the jacket. On one side are those portraits and quick tags and on the other side is The Constitution, with those 39 signatures. I found myself referring to that other side again and again as I read about these men --- 39 and I'm ashamed to say I only remembered two from my own state. All in all, an easy, breezy read that tantalized me into wanting to know more about these men. I'm off to the library!

[hildebrandfamily · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is basically a compilation of mini-biographies of the men who signed the US Constitution. It is an intriguing book. It is amazing to know the history of these men who made such an impact on our country. The book not only has an interesting subject matter but it is easy to read. The writing is completely accessible and injects humor into subject matter that could get quite bogged down.If you love obscure bits of history, you will love this book. If you just want something a little different, I would still recommend this interesting little piece.

[dumbbooks_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Kiernan and D'Agnese's brief but very informative book was right up this history buff's alley. After a brief introduction on the the Convention that produced the United States Constitution, the rest of the book devotes a chapter to each signer of the Constitution, giving a solid biography of each, as well as highlighting their contributions to the Constitution. There are appendices that list the full original text of the Constitution and its Amendments, as well as quick blurbs about other individuals associated with this historic document, including convention members who did not sign the final document.In general I love how Quirk books tend to highlight the truly weird and fascinating, while still maintaining some sort of value. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was my first introduction to this publisher and I can't say that I've been disappointed in much I've seen from them, and this entertaining, yet really useful non-fiction title is no exception.The dust jacket carries portraits of the signers with colorful one word descriptions such as "Bankrupt" "Pretty Boy" and "Fugitive", and even unfolds to reveal a replica of the original Constitution. The colorful descriptors on the cover match up with the equally memorable chapter headings such as "The Signer Who Stole $18,000 From Congress" and "The Signer Who Believed in Aliens". But, while making sure to highlight these colorful incidents, the book still sticks to the facts and provides a solid biographical sketch of each signer from birth to death without being too long, dry, or boring.While I enjoyed reading it from cover to cover, the book offers key biographical information on some of the lesser known Founding Fathers that would be useful to many students of American history. Maybe not a top priority for serious academic libraries, but certainly worth including in public libraries and middle and high school collections.

[cwflatt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book on these men who served their country in a very challenging time. Many have been lost to history and the heroic deeds they did and sacrifices they made, financially, emotionally and personally to create the greatest government constitution ever written. I believe every political leader should read about these men and aspire to be like them. They would then understand the constitution was not written to be exploited or changed but to be a document that this country can follow as long as man lives.

[queencersei · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Signing Their Rights Away gives brief biographies of the lives of the 39 men who debated, created and eventually signed the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. Some of the men, such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, will be well familiar to readers. But the book really shines in relating the histories of the other, forgotten signers. Wealthy and poor, noble and ignoble, these men came together during a sweltering summer and crafted a document that in their opinion, was not very great, but good enough, all things being equal. And there lies the most fascinating part of one of America's most revered documents. In an age of hyper-political partisanship, the framers of the Constitution were forced to compromise cherished beliefs or risk seeing their newfound country break apart. Many of the frames did not trust 'the little guy' and did not think the average voter informed or intelligent enough to elect their own Senators or even the President. The big states, like Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania wanted representation by percentage of population. Small states, like Delaware and New Jersey insisted on a more fair approach, threatening to torpedo the whole convention if they didn't get their way. Rhode Island didn't even bother to show up. But somehow all of these disparate beliefs and people came together and founded a system of government totally unique and eventually the envy of the world.

[movielizard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book was spectacular! It makes the men of the Constitutional Convention more than just old white guys who lived 250 years ago. The separation of the men into sections by states helps to categorize them into their respective groups, as does the portrait, the signature, and title heading at the beginning of each individual chapter. Overall, those items along with many others (like the dust jacket unfolding into a copy of the Constitution) helps to make this book a concise and fun history of not only the men who created the Constitution, but also of Continental America as a whole. Additionally, the authors address many non-Constitutional issues which pulls many of the unknown gentlemen into the realm of interesting (with their connections to presidents, paper money, etc). The tidbits about personal lives are also nice.Signing Their Rights Away is a book to pick up and put down at leisure, and would be absolutely fantastic for anyone studying the Constitution.

[snash_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book consists of 39 thumbnail portraits of the men who signed the Constitution. Despite their briefness they included information on their upbringing, education, contribution to the Constitutional Convention, and life afterwards with a bit of color thrown in as well. The book also includes a copy of the constitution and its amendments . By reading the whole book one gets a sense of the gathering, that they weren't more perfect than a gathering of leaders would be now, making their accomplishment all the more amazing.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short, breezy, potted biographies of the signers of the Constitution. Not much depth but if you want just a basic overview, this'll do.

[shieldmaidenofrohan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Kiernan takes a very broad look at the signers of the US Constitution. Instead of dwelling on their main ideas or contributions, she looks instead at the "sensational" aspects of their lives--characterizing them variously as "The Signer Who Pinched Pennies", "The Signer Who ...Oh, There's No Way to Dance around the Issue, This Guy Was a Crook", "The Invisible Signer", or "The Underachieving Signer". The brief 3-4 page essays on each signer focuses on their earlier lives, occupation, and life after the Philadelphia Convention. If you are looking for a scholarly approach to the signers, this is not it; however, if you are looking for a sensationalized, unrepentant, irreverent view of the Constitutional signers--this might be for you.